My father also suffered academic discrimination. Never a fine student, he was rejected from McGill because Jewish students needed a 10 point higher score to get in (high school grades were on a 100 point system).
Instead he went into the clothing business started by his father and uncle. Although he died at age 40, his first cousin Alvin Segal succeeded him as president of Peerless Clothing, and went on to create a highly successful business as described in the WSJ obituary for Alvin (https://www.wsj.com/articles/alvin-segal-made-peerless-a-giant-in-suits-and-sport-coats-11668784937; it was the 3rd partner, Larry Lovell, who threw the scissors). The months-long delay in the original NAFTA agreement over what called in public the "textile issue" was called by the negotiators "the Segal issue". Alvin was a big Trump supporter.
McGill's discrimination against Jews also had another effect: if you met a Jew at McGill, you knew that person had to be smarter than average to have gotten in. There are many good stories about Jews at McGill in those days in the book "Leonard Cohen, Untold Stories: The Early Years" (https://www.amazon.com/Leonard-Cohen-Untold-Stories-Early/dp/1982152621). In addition to Leonard Cohen, other notable characters are Ruth Wisse, my uncle Hersh Segal, and Boston pediatric neurologist Paul Rosman.
McGill discriminated, but they couldn't keep good people down.
My father also suffered academic discrimination. Never a fine student, he was rejected from McGill because Jewish students needed a 10 point higher score to get in (high school grades were on a 100 point system).
Instead he went into the clothing business started by his father and uncle. Although he died at age 40, his first cousin Alvin Segal succeeded him as president of Peerless Clothing, and went on to create a highly successful business as described in the WSJ obituary for Alvin (https://www.wsj.com/articles/alvin-segal-made-peerless-a-giant-in-suits-and-sport-coats-11668784937; it was the 3rd partner, Larry Lovell, who threw the scissors). The months-long delay in the original NAFTA agreement over what called in public the "textile issue" was called by the negotiators "the Segal issue". Alvin was a big Trump supporter.
McGill's discrimination against Jews also had another effect: if you met a Jew at McGill, you knew that person had to be smarter than average to have gotten in. There are many good stories about Jews at McGill in those days in the book "Leonard Cohen, Untold Stories: The Early Years" (https://www.amazon.com/Leonard-Cohen-Untold-Stories-Early/dp/1982152621). In addition to Leonard Cohen, other notable characters are Ruth Wisse, my uncle Hersh Segal, and Boston pediatric neurologist Paul Rosman.
McGill discriminated, but they couldn't keep good people down.
Tnk u. Fine piece.